Busy ... And the Anniversary

It's been a busy few weeks finishing up my oldest, Jack's Show Choir Season. Love watching him and all of the kids perform but it is definitely a busy time of full show choir weekends and not having time to get a lot of other stuff done. Musical practice is in full swing for him (happy he drives). Sparky's musical practices have amped up as well. She decided this year to be the stage manager. Wanted to try something different and still be a part of the production. Track will start for her in a couple of weeks as well. 

Training is holding steady and hasn't  gotten too out of control yet, but the build phase starts this week, so look out, the fatigue will be setting in!  I take everything week by week and deal with the training plan the Sunday before to make sure everything can be fit in. Still working on losing those hysterectomy LB's that came on with a vengeance and the no estrogen makes the weight loss even harder  The medically induced menopause isn't my favorite but, hey, I am alive, so that is most important and the weight will come off. 

This week is spring break for the kiddos. Nothing tropical for us but fun will be had.  A little work, some college visits for Jack, Sparky is going to the Dells with a friend, training AND the cabin with the family to round it all out!  Most of my training buddies will be out of town, but all will be good, some are sticking around :). Need to stay on task with the 3 half irons planned and paid for this season. I am excited for all of them in many ways. I haven't done any of these races before, so that will be the most fun!  The first, Milkman, in June, will be the inaugural race in Madison. Always fun to race close to home and friends will be racing too. The second, Door County, in July, will be a wonderful family weekend, will be a race with friends and we love Door County. The Third, Michigan Titanium with be fun as B and I will have a little overnight getaway, which will be a great way to round out the summer. 

Im and SO ready for warmer weather, having the windows open, taking the dogs for walks, training outside and family time up north. It's going to be another good year at the Stoned Loon Lodge ... Time is ALWAYS good there. 

The Anniversary ... Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of my father's death. I still can't believe it has been 2 years already. Just miss him terribly but always find great memories to make me smile. I miss being able to visit him and tell him what was all going on the most. Even towards the end when I know he didn't always understand, I loved to be able to chat with him about what was happening with everyone. Always wish for one more day, but know that he is there with me. Love that man to pieces. I am grateful that my mom is still here and have truly enjoyed the time we have together. 

Well, off to eat and enjoy the extra sunlight. Happy first day of spring and I'll be back next week!  Thanks for sticking around. :)

Year of the Triple 70.3

The triple 70.3 training season "officially" begins this week!  Looking forward to the challenge of the season and accomplishing the goals I have set out for myself!  First 8 weeks are planned and set and "day one" is in the books! First 70.3 is 17 weeks away!  It'll be interesting to see how the recovery/peak/taper goes in between each of these races as they are almost exactly one month apart. Really looking forward to the time with family and racing with different sets of friends this summer!  

These past couple of weeks I have been sick ... In almost like clockwork fashion, I get bronchitis and pneumonia. It has been just about an every year event since 2009. Not super fun but it is what it is. As soon as I felt the cold coming on, I went into rest mode to see if I could keep it all at bay ... No such luck. Just need to be sure I am diligent about making sure I am properly hydrated, nourished and am getting the rest that is needed and hopefully this will knock it out of the park for good.  No working out for me these past two weeks just made me cranky. Glad I have the ability to get back to it and the crankiness will subside! 

I've added a new strength program to my training which I am really excited about!  This will definitely aide in my base and build training before I need to reduce the amount of strength training I am doing once the tri season gets into full swing. 

Besides working on staying healthy, spending time with my family and getting training in, I have really been making an effort to carve out time for those that I have a positive life connection with. Love spending time with friends that I can support, cheer on and watch them succeed have them do the same for me. It can get too easy to get sucked into the negative. We all wish we could make changes and dream of things we would like to accomplish. Let's help each other get there!  This focus has been a definite gift and makes me smile everyday. 

I am off to foam roll. Enjoy the week, live life, love it enjoy it and be kind to one another!  I'll be back next week with some fun training and show choir adventures to share! 

Fitting It All In ...

It's been about 2 years since I have done any significant training for a triathlon.  I have forgotten the juggling act that needs to take place in order to make these things happen. ;). 

When can I swim, bike, run, get strength training in, go to yoga, have quality time with family and friends and find down time. 

It's all quite the interesting juggling act and trying to figure out the training plan can be a little daunting if one looks at the next 8 months as a whole to get ready for 3 half ironmans (70.3 mile races), a 20k, an OWS (open water swim) and the MS150 as well. The events themselves will be fun, the getting there can be the challenging part if I let it overwhelm me.  

How can this be done?  Well, training "officially" starts in February so I am just working on building that base for the work ahead. Everything really gets broken down into priorities. 

1) Family - they are always number ONE for me. What I do and how I get it done revolves around what works best for the family as a whole. Typically, you will see me out at the pre-butt crack of dawn as everyone is still in bed. Cabin and family time takes priority over anything. When we are up north, I may get an early morning long swim in (before the kids are up and before the lake neighbors are ready to start the day) or we may do a family bike ride, but there aren't any long rides or runs that will happen up there.  Let's face it, I am never going to "win" a race, nor am I going to qualify for anything, so if I miss along run or bike one weekend, life will not be over it just keeps moving forward. 

2) Friends - I love spending time with my friends but it gets challenging to manage two kiddos who are involved in a lot of activities (not as many as some, but enough) and a hubcap that has a schedule that I try to keep track of so we can work together to keep Team Wilkinson in a good place. 

I am fortunate to have different groups of friends that our "getting together" is to go for a run, go for a ride, catch s swim or meet after a yoga class, so we have time to connect and solve all the problems of the world ;). There are no sound barriers being broken with speed but we put the miles in while having a great time catching up. A definite training bonus and just makes it a fun way to get the work in. There are friends that I don't get to see as often but we know that when we can see each other it is always fun and a gift to share that time together. 

3) Work - that is a constant. I am fortunate to be able to work part time from home (20-25 hours a week) for a wonderful company. My schedule varies slightly from week to week but I always have a general idea as to what it's going to be which is helpful to get the training in when needed.

4) Training - it gets done, or as one of my first coaches said to me who gave a general idea as to how it needs to get done. If one does 85-90% of the training, all will be good. Rest when needed and if a workout gets missed, let it go. If too many are missed then reevaluating of how I am going about things will be needed, but I tend to be consistant. That training thought has seemed to work for me over the last 12 years since I started running and in the last 9 years since I have participated in my first triathlon. As I wrote earlier, I am never going to "win", so trying to be the fastest out there isn't a goal for me. The goal is to finish while having the best time while participating in the event and enjoying the journey in getting there. 

The goal for this season is to break down the training by month so I can see what needs to be done for that month and then figure it out from there. If I have to move something to another day, then I do that. If something comes up where I need to miss something because of family, work or just plain fatigue, then I typically let it go. If I look at the entire plan in front of me at one time, it gets to be just too overwhelming. I do have the whole plan figured out, but put the things in the calendar for one month at a time as that makes life and training much more manageable. 

2016 is going to be a fun year with life, family, friends, fun and racing. 

Hope you all are staying warm if you are in the Midwest. Screenshot of the temps this morning when we left Eagle River. There is no outdoor training when temps are like this. Brrrrr. At least it's sunny right! 

May you all have a wonderful week ahead. I am looking forward to turning the big 4-7 on Thursday. Let's all get out there and live life, love it, appreciate it and be kind to one another. Until next weekend!  Peace out!  

Giddy Up!!

Short but sweet ...

It's official! Registration fees have been paid for the 2016 triathlon season!  Milkman 70.3 (Madison, WI), Door County 70.3 (Door County, WI) and MI Titanium 70.3 (Grand Rapids, MI)!!! One race in each of the summer months!  

Race plan is in place and excited for the year to come. Finalizing the training plan and moving forward and leaving 2015 behind with the passion to conquer the challenges ahead!  

The focus will be the Swim, Bike, Run, Strength, Intervals AND NUMERO UNO will be keeping the diet dialed in. Had my last hoorah over the weekend with good friends having a delicious Bloody Mary that was absolutely ridiculous.  I am not a big fried food eater and the bloody was full of it. I made the choice to tackle it. I'm am still not feeling well tonight ... Hoping tomorrow, I will turn a corner (it was a blast tho) and the tummy will not be such a mess. Photo of the bloody is below. 

Looking forward to all of the adventures that 2016 brings!  

I'll be back next weekend. In the mean time, remember that life is short. Live it, love it and be kind to one another. 

Who Is Ready To Tackle 2016???

It's been a LLOONNGG time!  

I am back and ready to go!  Looking forward to 2016 and all it has to offer. The year will be filled spending time with those that are important to me, doing things I love and am passionate about personally and professionally.  Declaring 2016 the year of EPIC ADVENTURES.  

I am stoked to say that I am doing THREE 70.3 distance triathlons this coming season ... Haven't been this excited about fitness and racing in over a year (using my dad and a dear friend as my inspiration), so am definitely ready to tackle life, the season, my fitness and have an absolute blast!!!  The season will be filled with fun and friends, which is awesome. I'll be racing for Effcansah again which really is incredible and I love the founder so that makes it that more meaningful. If you don't know what they are about, below is a link to their website. 

www.effcansah.com 

Professionally, I am enjoying my job at Sub-Zero. Low stress, fun talking and working with all of the customers  and it's about 100 steps from my kitchen. Three wins in my book. 

I am still researching health coaching and triathlon coaching certifications. The goal is to tackle both by the end of 2016 so that in 2017, I can officially share that knowledge and help others achieve their goals and make their dreams a reality.  

Last thing to tackle is my weight. I am thicker than I want to be and the pants aren't fitting well. Time to take the bull by the horns and get it done. B is on board so it's awesome to have the support. One can only blame the hysterectomy for so long, but my body still isn't finished with menopause and the lack of any kind of estrogen makes the weight loss more challenging. Doing my best to work thru that and persevere.  Logging my food, whole foods and the right mix of strength, interval work, and steady cardio will get me there. The contract that I have signed is below. 

So, CHEERS to an amazing 2016! Looking forward to fun and quality time with my family and with friends, time at the cabin and living life to the fullest. 

May 2016 be a year of good health, happiness, fitness, fulfilling dreams, reaching your goals and having EPIC adventures of your own!!  Hope you will join me for the ride. 

Enjoy your night and I'll be back next week. Until then, remember that life is short. Live it, love it and be kind to one another. 

Lost ....

 I have come to this conclusion ...

To put it simply, I am lost. Not sure where to find "me" again. I am not the same since my hysterectomy 18 months ago and I am definitely not the same since my daddy passed 15 months ago. 

I'd love to feel "lighter" both mentally and physically. These will all take time. How much time, I have no idea. I will never "get over" the death of my father, but am looking forward to the day when it doesn't hurt so much. Not rushing time as it will happen when the time is right. 

The total hysterectomy has changed me in so many ways. There isn't a "formula" that one can use as to what happens to a woman after and how it affects people is completely different for everyone. I will say, I am over the hot flashes. Looking forward to those being done. The extra "love" I have in my frame will change. I have finally realized that it will take longer to do so. And that is OK. 

The focus right now is to have fun, not put so much pressure on myself, but keep moving, find me again, live in the moment and to continue spending time with those that I love and make life better.  I am also enjoying not being so "busy" anymore. Not sure why we all glorify the busy, but cramming 25 hours into a 24 hour day has lost its appeal. Enjoying my slower pace. 

I have pulled out of my half ironman this year. I have a feeling that 2016 will be the year for triathlon.  Just not feeling it in 2015, but loving exercising for fun with friends. 

Looking forward to making memories at the Stoned Loon Lodge with the family. I know it's been a while since I have been around the blog, and after today, it may be a while again. Thanks for checking in. I'll be back ... 

Until I return remember, life is short, live it, love it and be kind to one another. 

No News Is Good News ...

Life has been pretty status quo lately, which I always enjoy, so haven't written much ... 

Training has been going pretty well besides the lack of biking. Running 3-4 times a week, swimming twice a week and getting 2-3 strength sessions in each week as well. Need to get 3 in for sure to see the changes I am looking for. The bike will happen ... The trainer tire is off, so that's a step in the right direction. :-)

The big events for the upcoming week are first, my baby, turns 13 on Tuesday!!! Can't believe I will have a second teenager in the house!!!  Second, Jack has his first official job training meeting!  He is really is excited to be a part of the Kona Ice Krew and can't wait for summer!  Third, Sparky has her conference track meet.  Love to watch her run and enjoy watching her with the serious "in the zone" face while she is competing. Fourth, we hit the cabin!!!!  Looking forward to a long weekend at the Stoned Loon Lodge with boating, bonfires, good food and time with our lake friends. 

In he past few weeks, I have had a bit of a breakthrough, making time to meditate each day and seeing the results with better sleep, a more positive attitude and just feeling happier in general. I've been making sure to take care of me and writing what I am grateful for at the end of each day, so that is a plus. Just need to tweak the diet a bit more ... Have to continually make the effort to prep for the week ahead and not wing it. 

Today was a success on the Food planning front with grocery shopping done (date with the hubcap at Woody's), meals planned, my favorite Vega One shakes on deck and workouts scheduled and planned in the calendar ... I am ready!!!  

Hope you all had a fantastic week and enjoy your week ahead. May you be grateful for something everyday and take time to smile. Always remember, life is short, love it, live it and be kind to one another. Be back next week!